25 Air Pollution Facts and Health Statistics

Air pollution is a serious threat to the planet and the human race. Each year, the damage being done to our air quality is compounding and in some areas of the globe the harm being done may be irreversible.

While the most vulnerable to poor air conditions are the youngest and oldest of society, no one is immune to the health risks that are associated with increasingly poor air conditions.

Understanding these air pollution facts below and what it actually means to you and the world around you is important for many reasons. It’s obviously important to you because of your own safety and well being, but also the more people that are informed, the more likely policy makers would be forced to do more to protect the air quality around us.

So, here are a few air pollution statistics to help you understand the issue and make for a better, cleaner and more informed society.

Air Pollution Health Statistics

Fact #1: Deaths in America from pollutants in the air is over 50,000 per year.

Fact #2: Though smoking is the face of lung disease, nearly 80% of lung illnesses are due to the air pollutants caused by automobiles and other fossil fuel burning machines.

Fact #4:MIT research shows that nearly 13,000 UK citizens die every year from all the pollutants in the air.

Fact #5: When cars sit idle in traffic, pollutants sometimes seep inside of your vehicle. This stagnation can make air inside your car up to 10x more worse than the air outside your car.

Fact #6: Air pollution and health related issues are not a new discovery. In 1952 England, the “Great Smog of London” was responsible for 8,000 deaths.

Fact #7: The European Union spends 161 billion euros per year due to loss of life caused by pollutants in the air.

Fact #8: New electric cars produce far less pollutants than regular cars. This is almost as good as getting fossil fuel cars off of the road.

Fact #9: Heavy crude production increases the chances of pollution by nearly 40% more than producing greener light crude.

Fact #10: The Lancet journal found that waiting in traffic increases the chances of death due to a heart attack due to prolonged air pollution exposure.

Fact #11: Harmful toxic air pollutants are a much greater threat to young children because of the smaller size and capacity of the lungs.

Fact #12: The fastest growing cause of death in Asia is illness from air pollution.

Fact #13: The air pollutants which create smog have also been found to in the lungs of dolphins, causing black lung disease.

Fact #14: Nearly 70% of air pollution found in major cities in China are from automobile exhaust.

Fact #15: Nearly 5,000 early deaths in the Southern region of California are from pollutants emitting out of diesel engine trucks.

Fact #16: Travelers to the Grand Canyon sometimes are not able to see across the canyon because of air pollution that is produce from over 1,000 miles away.

Fact #17: Most of the truly hazardous pollutants get released through the air. More than what’s found in the land & water combined.

Fact #18: One of the simplest ways in which you can reduce your own air pollution output is to walk or ride a bike.

Fact 19: One full city bus can remove up to 40 cars from the road and tremendously reduce exhaust pollutants.

Fact #20: Only a meager 28% of Americans believe they may be affected by air pollution made from by automobiles.

Fact #21: The air pollutants produced by China are not only bad for China. The polluted air can travel as far away as the Central Valley in California.

Fact #22: Nearly 25% of all deaths in India are the result of the extreme air pollution.

Fact #23: Nearly 65% of all deaths in Asia are the result of pollution found in the air.

Fact #24: The two million automobiles found in and around Manila, Philippines are responsible for 80% of the pollution found in the city’s air.

Fact #25: Pollution found in the air around India is believed to have caused an estimated 527,700 deaths annually.

Don’t Forget

Reading about and knowing air pollution statistics is one thing, but doing your part to help is another.

Riding a bicycle, catching a bus, taking the train, or even choosing how often to mow your lawn are all little steps that can lead to big leaps forward for our environment.

Making the environment clean and green is not only good for the planet and enjoyment of our time spent on it, but having clean air also means having healthy people. Healthier people means happier people, happier people means safer people.

Cleaning our air can help save the planet and our own lives if we can help reduce the numbers found on this air pollution health statistics list.